Jesuit Tradition

At Saint Louis University, the nearly 500-­year­-old Jesuit tradition inspires everything
from the kinds of classes students take to how they spend their free time. But just what does it mean to be “Jesuit”?

Who are the Jesuits?

The Jesuits are members of the Society of Jesus, a Roman Catholic religious order
founded in 1540 by St. Ignatius of Loyola.

Early on, the Jesuits became known for education as they traveled throughout Europe
doing missionary work and starting schools and seminaries. Less than two decades after
they were founded, Jesuits had established 74 colleges on three continents.

Today, there are close to 200 Jesuit institutions of higher learning around the world,
including Saint Louis University. The Society of Jesus is the largest male religious
order in the Catholic Church, with almost 17,000 priests and brothers worldwide. They
are teachers as well as pastors, lawyers and more. In fact, Pope Francis is a Jesuit
priest.

Nearly 30 Jesuit priests and brothers live, teach and minister at Saint Louis University.
In addition, Bellarmine House of Studies, one of only three houses of Jesuit First
Studies in the country, is an on­-campus residential community for 25 scholastics
in training. Jesuit Hall is home to priests who work on campus, as well as some who
have retired from teaching or ministry.

What is Jesuit education known for?

Jesuit education entails caring for the whole person — mind, body and spirit — and encouraging
students to become well­rounded people who contribute to the greater good.

Inspired by the Jesuit practice of “finding God in all things,” students take a broad
range of study, which is grounded in the theological and philosophical foundations
of the Catholic intellectual tradition.

Then there’s the idea of “the magis” (more), which leads to excellence in all pursuits. This ties into the Jesuit legacy
of academic rigor, which requires students to go deeper, think critically and solve
problems creatively for the glory of God and the service of humanity.

Finally, Jesuit education prepares students to become “men and women for and with others,”
to make the world a better place by seeking justice and serving the most vulnerable among
us.

Do SLU students have to take religion classes?

All undergraduates take a course that is unique to SLU called “Theological Foundations.”
The course is an exploration of the Judaeo­-Christian religious traditions that have
contributed to shaping cultures throughout the world for more than 3,000 years. Connections
are also made in this course to other major religious traditions alive and well today.

Do SLU students have to attend Mass?

No. While there is ample opportunity for Catholic students to go to Mass, other students
are welcome but not obligated to join them. The Department of Campus Ministry also
works with affiliate ministers of many faith traditions who accompany students on
their spiritual journeys, on and off campus.

Who was St. Ignatius?

Inigo de Loyola (1491-­1556) was the youngest child of a noble Basque family loyal
to the Spanish crown. He spent his early days not as a priest but as a courtier and
a soldier. During the battle of Pamplona in 1521, his leg was seriously wounded by
a cannonball. While he recuperated at his family’s home, he reconsidered his way of
life. A spiritual and religious conversion followed, and he decided to lay aside his
sword of war and take up what he called the "sword of Christ."

After his convalescence, Ignatius began his new life as a pilgrim. He stopped in a
town called Manresa, intending to stay for a few days. Instead, he stayed for 10 months,
spending hours each day in prayer. This led to the creation of what is now known as
the “Spiritual Exercises.” Also during this time, Ignatius had a vision that led him
to seek “to find God in all things.”

After his religious conversion, to be of greater assistance to others, he went back
to school, studying at a variety of different universities. While at the University
of Paris, he formed a circle of friends who decided to dedicate themselves to the
greater glory of God and “helping souls.” They placed themselves at the service of
the Pope, who would send them throughout the world, wherever they were needed most.
Everywhere the Jesuits went, their mission remained the same: to seek the greater
glory of God and the good of humanity.

St. Ignatius was canonized by Pope Gregory XV on March 12, 1622. His feast day is
celebrated on July 31, the day he died.

Jesuit Glossary

Here are some Jesuit terms and phrases, and what they mean to a Jesuit education:

This Latin term means “care for the individual person” and describes respect for the
dignity of each person as a child of God. It leads to the teacher involving the student
in the process of learning and expressing personal care for each individual.

Peter­-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., a recent superior general of the Society of Jesus, said
that Jesuit schools should “educate the whole person of solidarity for the real world.”
This translates to learning through contact, not just concepts: first­-hand experience, service­-learning,
outreach.

Those at Jesuit institutions should seek to find God in all things — divine revelation,
the natural world, human experience and every academic discipline that explores these
orders of knowledge. This active discernment can lead to spiritual development made
possible by the liberal arts ideal of studying a broad spectrum of topics to have
a sense of the unity of knowledge.

Coined by Pedro Arrupe, S.J., who’s considered the founder of the modern, post­-Vatican
II Society of Jesus, this phrase speaks to the heart of the Jesuit tradition: We must
become “people who cannot even conceive of love of God which does not include love
for the least of their neighbors.” A Jesuit education encourages students to integrate
contemplation and action, so they become men and women with well­-developed minds,
generous hearts and reflective souls — “agents of change” who work to bring about
a more just, humane world.